Cithern.



Patented 1an. 30, |900. C. T. MENZE.

CITHERN.

(Applicatiau led Apr. 6, 1899.)

(No Model.)

Il f

M I L xm Imlmmmmllfq 5| hdm mm WMMMLMMHNW L O 0 9 0, 0 0 G O ,H 0 Q 0 Q UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES T. MENZE, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

CITHERN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 642,472, dated January 30, 1900 Application fled April 6,1899.1 Serial No. 711,911. (No model.)

To all wwm zt may concern:

Beit known that I, CHARLES T. MENZE, of the city of St. Louis, State of Missouri,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oitherns, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof.

My invention relates to citherns; and it consists of the novel construction, combination, and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

This invention is an improvement on the cithern patented to me on May 10, 1898, No. 603,699.

Figure 1 is a plan view of my improved eithern, parts thereof being broken away to more clearly illustrate the same, Fig. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional View taken approximately on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail sectional View taken approximately on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional View taken approximately on the line 4 4 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a sectional view analogous to Fig. 2, butshowing a modified construction of the mechanism made use of for striking the wires of my improved cithern.

Referring by numerals to the drawings, 1 indicates the body of the cithern, which is of the ordinary construction and provided with the usual strings 2. At the front end of the oithern the base-board and side rails 4 are extended forwardly a slight distance beyond the sounding-board 5 of said cithern, thus forming an offset in which is arranged the stringstriking mechanism hereinafter described. Extending transversely across the front end of the base-board 1 from one side rail to the otheris a bar 6, and immediately adjacent said bar, upon the front end of the base-board, is a ledge 7, the top of which is provided with a strip 8 of some soft material, such as felt.

Arranged upon the base-board just in front of the transverse bar that supports the sounding-board 5 is a section 9 of feltand removably located upon said section of felt is a plate 10, the same extending from one side wall of the cithern to the other. Carried by this plate 10 is a transversely-extending block 11, the rear end of which is made higher than the front end, and in said rear end is formed a plurality of slots 12, and in the front end of said block, immediately in front of said slots 12, are formed the slots 13. The playing-keys 14 of the cithern are arranged in these slots A13, the lower ends of said keys occupying positions just inside the rail 6 and above the strip of felt S, and the opposite ends of said keys which occupy the ends of the slots 13 are provided with the upwardly-projecting fingers 15. These keys 14 are fulcrumed upon a rod 16, which extends transversely through the forward portion of the block 11. Each of these playin g-keys 14 is provided with a wire rod 17, the same being rigidly seated in said key, and said rod extends rearwardly, and carried upon the free end of said rod is a block 1S, the under side of which is provided with a body 19 of felt or analogous material, the same normally resting directly upon the cithern-strings. This block, provided with the felt body 19, performs the function of a vibration-arrester or sound-damper for the strings of the cithern. I

Passing transversely through the raised rear portion of the block 11 and through the slots 12 thereof is a rod 20, and upon said rod are fulcrumed short bars 21, the same occupying the slots 12. The forward ends of these bars 21 are beveled and extend directly over the upper ends of the ngers 15, integral with the ends of the keys 14. Rigidly seated on each of said bars 21 is the lower end of an upwardly and rearwardly extending Wire rod 22, the outer end of which carries a hammer 23, the under side thereof being provided with a facing of felt 24 or analogous material. Secured to the rear end of each of the bars 21 is one end of a coil-spring 25, the opposite end thereof being secured to the top side' of the playing-key immediately over the rod 16, on which the keys are fulcrumed.

Extending transversely across the entire set of playing-keys a short distance to the rear of the front ends of the side bars 4 is a bar 26, the under side of which is provided witha section of felt 27, against which the upper sides of the keys 14 engage when in normal positions. Seated upon the upper side of this bar 26 is the front edge of a sheetmetal cover 27, the same extending upwardly IOO and rearwardly over the hammers 23, the sides of this cover being secured to the side bars 4 of the cithern.

Arranged upon the sounding-board 5 immediately beneath one of the strings is abar 28, the same being provided with a longitudinally-extending slot 29, and arranged to slide in said slot 29 is a block 30, the rear end of which is provided with a lug 31, through which is formed an aperture, through which aperture passes the string normally overlying the bar 28. A fret 32 is carried by the block 30, upon which fret rides said string, and arranged at predetermined distances apart upon the top face of the bar 2S is aseries of marks 33, corresponding to the diiierent keys.

In the modification shown in Fig. 5 the bars 2l are dispensed with and elongated bars 31 are fulcrumed in the upwardly-projecting rear end of the block 1l, said bars 34 normally occupying inclined positions, and the' rear ends of said bars carry hammers 35, the under sides of which are faced with felt or analogous material, said hammers overlying the strings of the cithern.

My improved cithern is operated or played in the same manner as is an ordinary piano, the proper keys being struck in succession to sound the strings. IVhen the front ends of the playing-keys let are depressed, the vibration-arresters will be normally elevated from the strings and at the same time the fingers 15 of the keys that have'been depressed will elevate the Forward ends ot' the bars 21, thus depressing the rear ends thereof, and consequently the hammers 23 will strike against the strings corresponding to the keys that are depressed. The instant the pressure of the finger is removed from the key the coil-spring 25 will act and return the key and strikinghammer to their normal positions, and in so doing the vibration-arrester or sound-damper is returned to its posit-ion upon the string just struck.

If desired, a plurality of the strings maybe located close together, and said strings tuned so as to sound a chord when struck, all of said strings forming a chord to be engaged by a single hammer.

The coil-springs 25 may be replaced by small rubber bands or any suitable mechanisms which will instantly act to return the keys and striking-hammers to their normal positions.

By arranging a section of felt 9 beneath the plate 10 and by locating the sections of felt 8 and 26a beneath and above the keys 14 the operation of said keys is perfectly noiseless and only the vibration produced by the striking of the hammers against the strings will be heard when the keys are struck.

The bar 2S, provided with the slide 30, provides means whereby the cithern can be accurately tuned, for by moving said slide 30 along the slot 29 and stopping said block in a position so that the fret 32 is opposite one of the indicating-marks 33 the dilerent notes of a scale can be obtained by striking the key corresponding to this particular string at the time when said fret is opposite the different marks.

A cithern of my improved construction is simple, inexpensive, presents a very neat and finished appearance, can be played upon with Very little practice, and the tones produced by the striking of the strings are much more even than where said strings are picked by hand, as is the practice in playing citherns of the present construction.

In Fig. 2 it will be noted that dotted lilies illustrate the rods 22 in a vertical position, their upper ends carrying the striking-ham mers, this being the construction used when the strings of the cithern are arranged verticall y or where the playing mechanism is located in a horizontal position at the lower end of the cithern.

I claim- 1. A cithern constructed with an oitset in its front end, a block removably located in said oiset, a plurality of bars fulcrumed in said block, arms seated in said bars and eX- tending upwardly over the strings of the cithern, hammers carried by said bars, a separate means carried by the block for actuating the bars to cause the hammers to strike downwardly upon the cithern-strings, and a means for arresting the vibrations of ysaid strings connected with said actuating means, substantially as specitied.

2. In a cithern constructed with an offset in its front end, a block removably fixed in said oset, a plurality of bars fulcrumed in said block, arms seated in said bars and eX- tending upwardly over the cithern-strings, hammers carried by said arms, keys fulcrumed in the block, said keys engaging against the under sides of and actuating the bars, and an elastic connection between each bar and its corresponding key, substantially as specified.

3. In a cithern constructed with an offset in its front end, a block removably fixed in said offset, a plurality of bars fulcrumed in said block, arms seated in said bars and eX- tending upwardly over the cithern-strings, hammers carried by said arms, keys fulcrumed in the block, said keys engaging against the under sides of and actuating the bars, an elastic connection between each bar and its corresponding key, arms carried by each key, which arms extend to points immediately over the cithern-strings, and vibration-arresters xed upon the ends of said arms, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I aiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES T. MENZE.

lVitnesses:

ALFRED A. Eioks, M. P. SMITH.

lOO

IIO 

